Festival Hall, Greensboro’s premier arts venue and cultural center presents the second show of the 2022 Jazz Series, The Jazz Legacy Project: John Coltrane, The Beauty of the Struggle, Thursday, June 16, at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are selling fast for the return of the Jazz Legacy Project to the Festival Hall stage. The group, founded and led by Atlanta-based drummer Justin Varnes, performed two shows at the historic arts venue in downtown Greensboro over the last year paying tribute to jazz and pop music icons Billie Holiday and Cole Porter. The next performance will pay homage to one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, John Coltrane.
It was Coltrane's music that inspired the beginnings of the Jazz Legacy Project six years ago. Varnes, a music teacher who is well-known on the regional jazz circuit, had a Sunday gig at the Velvet Note, a popular lounge and listening room in Alpharetta, Georgia.
"I saw that John Coltrane's birthday fell on that Sunday," said Varnes, "so I decided I should do a Coltrane birthday celebration concert. I told Coltrane's story in between songs, and people came up afterward and said 'That was amazing! When's the next one?'"
Varnes scrambled to come up with that next one celebrating another legend, Art Blakely, which he did in short order thanks to a roster of ace players and his encyclopedic knowledge of the genre. "Since then, we've been selling out the Velvet Note one Sunday a month for the last six years."
The original idea, according to Varnes, was to give adults what he was giving his students in his jazz appreciation class – not just a concert but a true understanding of how fascinating these great artists were, and, more importantly, why they sound the way they sound.
"My favorite quote about the show – one that many people come up and say to me in one form or another afterward – is that it's a concert and a jazz appreciation class in one," said Varnes.
Like any good teacher standing in front of a class of easily bored students, Varnes peppers all Jazz Legacy Project shows with humorous anecdotes about the musicians' lives to keep things rolling along. The two previous shows at Festival Hall were enthusiastically received by the crowd and featured plenty of laughs to complement all the serious music appreciation going on. Varnes excels at providing context in between tunes, so the classics become fresh again as the band breathes new life into the music.
It's not just another gig for Varnes, but more like a mission that he takes to heart. "I'm not here to use these artists' names as an excuse to do a concert. I'm here to spread their message, their music, and their stories since they're not around anymore to do it themselves. Jazz is something that intimidates or alienates a lot of music lovers. And I'm here to correct that. When you come to a Jazz Legacy Project show, you will leave with a better understanding of jazz, and of why it's talked about so much as America's art form."
Why was John Coltrane so important, and why should Lake Country residents not miss this celebration of his life and legacy? Those questions will be answered at Festival Hall on June 16, but Varnes gave a hint.
"Rock and soul and hip-hop musicians for generations have cited John Coltrane as an influence," he said. "After the show, the next time you hear someone mention Coltrane, or hear a Coltrane song, you'll know. You'll know what they're talking about. You'll recognize things in his songs. And you'll start telling your friends."
The Jazz Legacy Project will perform its celebration of John Coltrane featuring saxophonist John Sandfort, bassist, Kevin Smith, pianist, Louis Heriveaux, and drummer and bandleader Justin Varnes at Festival Hall, 201 N. Main Street, Greensboro, GA, on Thursday, June 16 at 7:30. The traditional folk harmonies of local sister act EverGreene will perform before the show. Tickets start at $20 www. festivalhallga.com. This program is sponsored in part by Visit Lake Oconee. www.visitlakeoconee.com
-Contributed